A world of opportunities at Indigenous Girls Academy
First Nations high schoolers from Mount Morgan and Baralaba State Schools converged at CQUniversity Rockhampton North for an Indigenous Girls Academy Camp, where the students were shown a world of opportunity for future careers, skills and training throughout the three-day program.
Led by CQUniversity in partnership with Matana Foundation for Young People, the program is in its second iteration as part of a four-year agreement between the University and the two state schools, aimed at providing career guidance, work experience, mentorship, and workplace engagement opportunities for Indigenous high school girls in years 7 – 12.
CQU Future Students Senior Officer Katie Wallace said the camp was designed to give the girls an insight into university life and provide them with the skills and experiences that they can apply in their everyday lives during and after high school.
“Through this program we’re able to provide insight to the girls to prepare them for their high school years and beyond by showcasing what opportunities are available when they complete school,” Ms Wallace said.
“We’re also providing support to families in need through the program by supplying school uniforms, book packs, and tuckshop vouchers which really assists the girls’ wellbeing in being able to flourish while at school, which in turn increases retention rates.”
33 high schoolers were in attendance at this year’s academy, experiencing a variety of education and training options with hands-on experience in hospitality and cookery, beauty, fitness, and arts, as well as learning soft skills such as preparing for job interviews.
“It’s wonderful to be able to guide the girls in establishing what they’re interested in and opening their minds to so many other options and pathways that are out there,” Ms Wallace said.
“Through those interests we can help them realise these are things they can study and get a career out of.
“From there, they’re able to go back to their community and share their experiences, and hopefully it will have a ripple effect on the younger generation.”
Transcript
CQUniversity Future Students Senior Officer Katie Wallace:
It's a partnership that CQUni have established with Mount Morgan State High School and Baralaba State School and together we've combined two academies that's aimed at providing career guidance, mentorship, work experience and just overall general wellbeing um for girls that are predominantly from low socioeconomic backgrounds. So it's just being able to show that there are opportunities outside their communities and that there are opportunities when they complete school. So that program the program we've been able to put together is aimed at that and um you know being able to provide those things to the girls and just prepare them of their high school years and for when they finished school as well just being able to guide the girls in establishing what they're interested in and um you know opening their minds to so many other things that are out there outside of their community.
We've got 33 girls in attendance this year which is really great; I know they're really excited you know coming to Rockhampton, it's a bit of a big city for the girls so just being able to have that experience um alone is quite huge and then being able to go back and um you know share those
experiences and hopefully they have a ripple effect on the younger generation around them and you know they're cousins or brothers and sisters,
hopefully it's something they get to look forward to when they get close to high school just to open their worldview.
Baralaba State School Teacher Aleisha Mansfield: I think like see things they haven't seen before, experience things they haven't experienced I think it's good for them to understand there's more to the world than what they can see in their everyday life. Yeah I think it's good building connections with each other too in the schools and a bit more with their cultural understanding, 'cause they'll go into the future with the friendships they've built; I think they'll be lasting so which is nice for these girls that are very tight with each other tight with their community, but to build and develop on their connections and community and all that I think it's good for them.
Mount Morgan State High School Teacher Aide Donna Toby: I've seen girls come into the program not knowing what they're doing or what they want to do but getting inspiration from the careers that we're touching base with I've seen some of those girls go on to do traineeships and whatever they've learned about and I've also seen a few of them older girls in the beginning go on to jobs and they are now working in the workforce in things that they found through Indigenous Girls Academy. Being in Mount Morgan a lot of kids don't get out and about, for whatever reason, they just don't get the opportunities to see a lot of the careers that are offered firsthand so it's really rewarding for them to get hands-on experience. Just to have the opportunity to see beyond their world and being on the University campus and having the opportunity to visit all the careers, I think it really encourages them to chase something that they'd like to do or something they might not think about doing, yeah.
Mount Morgan State High School Student Dakota Bergin: It just the sort of sense of community of it like you have this whole group of people that are like learning with you and doing things with you and yeah it's like it sort of just feels like a group of friends to be honest. Yeah I like seeing the different programs of the University like the different pathways you can take. It's really fun here and I'm glad I got to do it.
